National budget 12.31.09

Thursday

Happy holidays from GateHouse News Service. Our office will be closed on Jan. 1, but if you need anything, please contact Jean Hodges at jhodges@gatehousemedia.com. I’ll be monitoring e-mail.

Here are the top national stories coming today from GateHouse News Service. Stories are available at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/. Please submit stories below no later than 6 pm local time, unless you have breaking news that is changing significantly.

POLL QUESTION IDEA: Check out this week’s poll question idea for your Web site on which top stories of 2009 affected you most? Give your readers a chance to weigh in.
http://ghnewsroom.com/article/poll-question-idea-which-stories-2009-affected-you-most

TAX PAGE FOUR-PART SERIES: This four-part series looks at new laws, how to avoid mistakes that might lead to an audit, what to do with your refund and setting yourself up for a relatively painless tax return next time around.
http://ghnewsroom.com/article/four-part-tax-series-all-set-january-news-service

YEAR IN REVIEW PAGE ELEMENTS: Find a logo and page banner that you can use for your Year in Review stories and pages.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/images/x1508037125/Year-in-Review-Page-Elements

Check out our Best of 2009 links package here:
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/homepage/x1903560869/Best-of-2009-content

For New Year’s content, check out this package:
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x370503322/New-Years-content

Niche 2010 schedule: Check out the Niche products planned for next year.
http://www.ghnewsroom.com/article/gatehouse-2010-niche-schedule

Lifestyles

MORNING MINUTES: Includes Word of the Day, Web Site of the Day, Number to Know, This Day in History, Today’s Featured Birthday and Daily Quote.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/morning_minutes

LOOKING UP: It’s a round world after all - How do you know the world is round? It seems obvious that it is, but that may only be due to the fact we are taught that from childhood and have likely seen pictures of Earth from space. Weekly astronomy column by Peter Becker.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1820917278/Looking-Up-It-s-a-round-world-after-all

CRITTERS: Keep those unwanted critters out of your house - With cold weather here, raccoons, squirrels and other animals will seek shelter in your home. Here's how to keep them out. By Kelsea Gurski / SPRINGFIELD, Ill.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x370507712/Keep-those-unwanted-critters-out-of-your-house
- Embargoed until Jan. 2.
- Localize it by talking to critter-control experts in your area and adding their quotes, etc.

FAMILY TIME: Weekly family rail, with a tip on your household budget, a review of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and more.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/family/x370504542/Family-Time-Take-control-of-your-household-budget-in-the-new-year

GET OUTSIDE: Resolve to get real and get outside in 2010 - There’s been a breakthrough in high definition — beyond Blu-Ray — and with a screen larger than the imagination’s capacity to take it all in. To really experience nature, put down the Wii controller, turn off the plasma screen television, leave the iPod in the glove compartment and head outside. By Chris Young.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/family/x370506474/Resolve-to-get-real-and-get-outside-in-2010

RELIGION NEWS: Patients more likely than doctors to discuss prayer -- Religion rail for Dec. 31, with research on physicians and prayer, Bible-based video games, a book for men, and more.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/x1437795410/Religion-News-Patients-more-likely-than-doctors-to-discuss-prayer

NEW YEAR, NEW HOME: Discard it, sell it, donate it, but get rid of that clutter -- It’s that time of year again, time to make promises to ourselves. If you’re like most, one of those pledges is to get organized.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x980515861/Discard-it-sell-it-donate-it-but-get-rid-of-that-clutter

DIANA BOGGIA: Which family strategies from 2009 have you tried? – Raising self-confident, thoughtful children can be a challenge, but, as proven by those who have tried them, there are strategies to help each child learn and grow when we parent with love.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/family/x1437796930/Diana-Boggia-Which-family-strategies-from-2009-have-you-tried

JULIA SPITZ: America's New Year spirits -- It's hard to believe we didn't invent New Year's Eve. Most everything about the celebration seems so American. Out with the old, in with the new, and in the blink of an eye, or the drop of a ball in Times Square, we can -- no, we will -- reinvent ourselves.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x980515951/Julia-Spitz-Americas-New-Year-spirits
- with column mug

REV. TESS BAUMBERGER: Putting the pastoral in pastoral care -- Traditionally, the New Year is a time for resolutions. One of the resolutions we share at Unity Church is to offer good pastoral care to our members and friends. After all, this is one of the reasons we come together in church community, to offer and to receive comfort from one another in our times of suffering and need.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1671991930/Rev-Tess-Baumberger-Putting-the-pastoral-in-pastoral-care
- with column mug

DAVID ROBSON: Searching for winter color in the garden -- Winter is the quiet time of the year for the garden. There’s not much sound to tickle your hearing. Fragrances and aromas are only a memory, except for burning fireplace wood. Sure, it seems like nothing's happening ... but it won't be long before you'll see all kinds of colors.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/home_and_garden/x1689186891/David-Robson-Searching-for-winter-color-in-the-garden

GARY BROWN: The sled, the rock and listening to Mom -- The sled was poised a few feet beyond a bank and a few feet above a big rock. I was on the sled. Whether I also would be on the rock had not yet been determined. My mom didn’t know where I was. Oh, she knew I was “out back sledding,” but she didn’t know exactly where I was sledding.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x664199059/Gary-Brown-The-sled-the-rock-and-why-I-should-have-listened

GREENSPACE: Forget that air purifier, go for indoor plants -- NASA, bless it, has been busy experimenting with our houseplants. It has completed a two-year study confirming what we’ve known all of our lives: Houseplants produce oxygen. The news here is plants also filter common chemicals polluting our living spaces. That’s a pleasant surprise.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/home_and_garden/x1671991885/Greenspace-Forget-that-air-purifier-go-for-indoor-plants

Entertainment

5 THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND: This week, party it up on New Year’s Eve and then relax on the long weekend by watching parades, football games and more.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/entertainment/x664197300/5-Things-to-Do-This-Weekend-Dec-31-Jan-3
- Localize it: List hot spots in town to celebrate New Year’s Eve, list any New Year’s Day activities in town, list any observatories or other astronomy places, list health clubs, etc.

SUDOKU: Puzzles for December (526-553) are available for download. Previous puzzles are linked to in this file, or visit our Puzzles category.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1076978543/Sudoku-puzzles-526-553-December-puzzles

SUDOKU JANUARY: Puzzles for January (554-581) are available for download. Previous puzzles are linked to in this file, or visit our Puzzles category.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/puzzles/x1792921242/Sudoku-puzzles-554-581-January-puzzles

FLICKS: Look ahead to what’s on 2010’s box office horizon - Flicks is a bit late coming to the keyboard this week. There was a good chance, ruined by circumstance, this space would be dedicated to how great “Sherlock Holmes” was. Holmes apparently was good enough for second place, but it was no thanks to me. Ah, Fate, you cruel mistress. By John Meo.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/connecticut/x370507055/Flicks-Look-ahead-to-what-s-on-2010-s-box-office-horizon

BRIAN MACKEY: The week in review — in review - Late December is a time for thinking about the past, but there are ways to get that reflective fix on a weekly basis.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/entertainment/x1671991899/Brian-Mackey-The-week-in-review-in-review

RICK HOLMES: The best books read in 2009 -- A confession: The small table by my bedside holds a stack of reading material that grows and grows. It's got newspaper articles I'm sure I'll get to, magazines abandoned halfway through, a book I was fired up about when summer vacation ended, 100 pages from the end, that I haven't returned to since and a couple of books recommended by friends.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x370502927/Rick-Holmes-The-best-books-read-in-2009
- with column mug

MUSIC ROUNDUP: 10 rock albums from 2009 you might like -- Canton Repository writer Dan Kane offers a selection of his favorite albums from 2009.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/entertainment/dvds_cds/x370504403/10-rock-albums-from-2009-you-might-like-Watch-and-listen

MUSIC LIST: Top Southern rock/country albums of 2009 -- David Schiefelbein takes a look at the best Southern rock/country albums from 2009.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/entertainment/dvds_cds/x1689185280/Top-Southern-rock-country-albums-of-2009

Opinions

GRANLUND CARTOON: Dick Cheney a new White House party crasher
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/cartoons/x980516128/Granlund-cartoon-Dick-Cheney-a-new-White-House-party-crasher

GRANLUND CARTOON: Still hung over from 2008
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/cartoons/x1689183510/Granlund-cartoon-Still-hungover-from-2008

CHARITA GOSHAY: New year ... same ol' stuff -- In a shocking turn of events, Baby New Year has announced he will not appear at Times Square on Friday as scheduled. The infant slated to become 2010 cited stress and the seemingly endless crises that have buffeted the nation over the previous nine years.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/columnists/charita_goshay/x664198283/Charita-Goshay-New-year-same-ol-stuff

LLOYD GARVER: Free can be expensive - My old cell phone died recently. We had been so happy together. It was a very simple phone, not like today's "smart phones." All I used it for was to make and receive calls and an occasional text message. It was perfect for me, so I took it with me to the phone store so I could show the salesperson what I wanted. Boy, was I living in a dream world.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1437799754/Lloyd-Garver-Free-can-be-expensive

WOOD ON WORDS: Take away the prefix, and you might take away the meaning
If something is “disheveled” or “unkempt,” could it also be “heveled” or “kempt”? By Barry Wood.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x370507909/Wood-on-Words-Take-away-the-prefix-and-you-might-take-away-the-meaning

ELIZABETH DAVIES: A decade’s worth of resolutions
I tend to make it a full week or more before letting a resolution slide. What I really do is forget about it. It’s not that the resolution itself is so difficult. Remembering to keep it up once the holidays have passed is a far greater challenge.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1689187676/Elizabeth-Davies-A-decade-s-worth-of-resolutions

MICHELLE TEHEUX: If I only had a million or two or three
I never play the lottery, believing the government gets enough of my money without me voluntarily handing over more of it. However, this has not kept me from making elaborate plans for what I would do with my winnings if I somehow won a jackpot.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x370507018/Michelle-Teheux-If-I-only-had-a-million-or-two-or-three

LORI KILCHERMANN: Unleash your creativity in 2010
What’s the best investment to make in the New Year? The answer is surprisingly simple – invest in yourself. While the stock market will continue its perpetual roller coaster, self-investment is a sure and steady path to enrichment.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1820917369/Lori-Kilchermann-Unleash-your-creativity-in-2010

EDITORIAL: Make sure to ring in the New Year safely. By the Utica Observer-Dispatch.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/editorials/x370507672/Editorial-Make-sure-to-ring-in-the-New-Year-safely

EDITORIAL: Goodbye to all that -- This hasn't been the worst of all years, but by the 365th day, most years have worn out their welcome. There are plenty of aspects of 2009 we're happy to wave goodbye to. By the MetroWest Daily News.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/editorials/x980515910/Editorial-Goodbye-to-all-that

News

THIS WEEK IN WEIRD: A bizarre find, robbers caught by Web cam and more in this week's edition.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1671990732/This-Week-in-Weird-Dec-31

NEW YEAR'S SAFETY: Getting drunk, sick can happen before you know it – Many people look forward to ringing in the New Year with a few rounds of beer, friends and lighthearted laughs. But some adults hit their alcohol limit long before the countdown, confetti and midnight cheers as good times only seem to get better with each beer, shot or glass of wine. By Sara Browning.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1689183787/A-safe-New-Years-Getting-drunk-sick-can-happen-before-you-know-it
To localize: Add a paragraph about your state's DWI and DUI laws.

BIZ BITS: Weekly business rail, with tips for making your job search easier, BBB Watch on Peel Inc. and more.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1689184731/Biz-Bits-Tips-for-making-your-job-search-easier
- File is moving early because of the holiday.

CHECKOUT LANE: Finding an affordable bubbly beverage for New Year’s Eve -- Finding a good-quality bottle of champagne at a great price can be a sweet way to ring in the new year. First, consumers should know what “champagne” really means. By Sara Castellanos.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x664194821/Checkout-Lane-Finding-an-affordable-bubbly-beverage-for-New-Year-s-Eve
- with photos

MAKING CENTS: Take advantage of benefit plans before end-of-year deadline -- Most benefit plans have deadlines. In most cases, that deadline prevents you from acting or using that benefit beyond the stipulated date. By John P. Napolitano.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x370502840/Making-Cents-Take-advantage-of-benefit-plans-before-end-of-year-deadline
- with column mug

THE FINE PRINT: State officials say most scanners are accurate -- Still, inspectors are still finding some violations, so it can’t hurt to be on the safe side when shopping. Patriot Ledger staff reports.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x664195091/The-Fine-Print-State-officials-say-most-scanners-are-accurate

Sports

NASCAR PAGE: The weekly page will return just before the season starts next year.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/homepage/x1792908441/NASCAR-page-Take-it-from-the-top

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATION: Football may never see the likes of Tebow, McCoy again - Weekly column by Eric Avidon leads with item on Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/sports/college/x980515597/College-Football-Nation-Football-may-never-see-the-likes-of-Tebow-McCoy-again

FANTASY FOOTBALL: Fantasy as unpredictable as the real sport - Fantasy football: a crapshoot? I’ve had this debate with friends for about as long as I’ve taken fantasy football seriously. Last week didn’t help my side of the debate. By Joey Baskerville.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/sports/pro/football/fantasy_football/x1437799478/Fantasy-Football-Fantasy-as-unpredictable-as-the-real-sport